Solar powered coffee van coming to a town near you?

I recently stumbled upon a mobile coffee company this week, near where my wife works.

Besspresso is a solar and biofuel (soy-based) powered green van that serves a blend of organic, fair trade, and sustainable wood roasted coffee and various espresso drinks. They serve their coffee in 100% biodegradable corn and plant based cups.

They originated near Portland, Oregon a few years ago, but the new owners are taking it all over the United States. They will be here in Iowa City for a few more weeks, then off to Tempe, Arizona for the remainder of the year. They will also be making stops at various music and environmental festivals this summer.

They offer a relaxing atmosphere to enjoy coffee outdoors, and listen to music through their high quality loudspeaker system.

To learn more about their service, and where they are located now, visit their website at: http://www.solarespresso.com/

"Consumer's Guide to Alternative Energy" DVD

I recently viewed a DVD called "Consumer's Guide to Alternative Energy". This video provides a more thorough explanation of alternative energy and fuels than I've seen any other place.

The video goes through the following alternatives:

» Ethanol
» Solar Power
» BioDiesel
» Wind Generators
» Hybrid & Electric Cars

It also has additional links to resources and websites to learn even more about each one. At the end, it also includes an Energy Efficiency and Conservation module that has tips for reducing your impact, if you aren't looking to invest in any of these options right now.



What I liked best was the unbiased opinion. For each category, it would give the positives and negatives of each, so that people would know what they were getting into (for example, using ethanol-based fuels can reduce your gas efficiency by 25%). Often times, these details are not mentioned, or are not discovered until you get too far into the investigation.

This would be a great video for classrooms, businesses or just for people who want to learn more about the different options out there today. It lasts 34 minutes, but there's quite a bit of information presented, using real people who are already using these options.

The DVD was created by Syndikast, as part of their Future Fuels Series. If you are interested in purchasing it, visit their website at Future Fuels TV.